


One Less Than 18:An Alternate Path?

by Cojiko



Series: The Krillin Rare-Pair Melting Pot [2]
Category: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Android 17, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Male Character, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Cheeky 17, Flirting, Flirty-ish behavior, Gen, Gore, Implied Attraction, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Gore, Mild Language, POV Alternating, POV Third Person, Pictures, Rare Pairings, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Teasing, What-If, You can't fly from them, bit of a crack fic, crack ship, gay thoughts, he likes to mess with people, no beta we die like men, off-screen sexy times, silly Krillin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-08-19 18:02:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20213971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cojiko/pseuds/Cojiko
Summary: We all know how it went all those years ago. Androids were activated, they kicked some asses, 18 kissed Krillin on the cheek, and the rest was history.But what if we did a little switcharoo involving a certain twin brother? No, not Juan Sanchez...That'd just be silly.- - -Inspired by "Of torture chairs- I mean couch's and androids" from Fanfiction.net





	1. Chapter 1: A Different Kiss

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Of torture chairs- I mean couch's and androids](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/507118) by FrankieQuinn13. 

> At the very least, this pairing was the most inspiration I got from "Of torture chairs- I mean couch's and androids."  
It's an alright story, though a couple elements weird me out a bit, to put it simply.
> 
> Hope you'll like this little thing I came up with, because I sure enjoyed writing it out! c:

In a mountain-side road somewhere in the world, a devastating battle has just ended. No one was dead yet, but there were currently four individuals who laid in fresh rubble just below the paved cliffside.

A triclops, a teenager, a Namekian, and a Saiyan warrior were brutally battered. The Saiyan in particular also just received two broken arms and a fractured ego. A rather ugly sight, wouldn't you say? The only other people around who weren’t severely injured/close to death, standing on an elevated highway, were three powerful androids and one terrified little man. It wasn’t a stand-off, stare-off, or anything yet. The three androids were just standing several feet away from the petrified man, analyzing every part of him.

From tallest to shortest, the names were Android 16, 17, 18, and Krillin. Their stances couldn’t be more opposite even if they tried. Whilst 17 and 18 looked as though they were waiting for a bus and as 16 just…well, _stood_, Krillin was more than just trembling in his boots. He wanted to do something, _anything_ to pay those cold machines back for what they did to his friends! Instead of doing that, he stood back as the androids began to move further away.

“Well, this has been fun and all, but we’ve got some other business to do. I wanna see about paying this Goku a little _visit_.” 17 announced as he walked up to the towering Android 16.

"Sure, let's go. I need some new clothes ASAP," 18 mumbled. 16 only nodded, paying more attention to some little birds than anything else around him.

As the three machines were about to take off, the little fighter suddenly stepped in front of them. It almost looked as though he had appeared from thin air (It wasn't Instant Transmission, Krillin was just that agile).

“Woah, you’re fast,” 18 spoke in a monotonous voice.

“L-Listen here, you two! I-If you don’t leave Goku alone, then…then you’ll have to go through me!” The bald man exclaimed, puffing his chest up and stretching his arms out as far as he could. The twin brother snickered at this.

“Tch, please. You want to try and fight us? I dunno if you’ve noticed, but you’re about as threatening as a _cocker spaniel_, shorty,” 17 teased casually. He wore this shit-eating grin that just got under your skin and made your blood boil. His sister, 18, wore a colder expression.

“All you’re going to do is get yourself killed. Stand down,” 18 ordered. She preferred getting straight to the point than to horse around like her twin

But Krillin shook his head.

“But you guys don’t have to do this! Dr. Gero was the one who hated Goku. You killed him, so you don’t need to keep following his whims anymore!” Krillin argued, even as the Androids ignored his protests and tried to move past him. For every step they tried to take, the bald fighter kept blocking their path and staring them down.

17 sighed. It didn’t seem like this dude was going to back down any time soon. He could just slice the guy’s throat open and leave him to die, but…something held him back. The android wasn’t sure why he was hesitating. Maybe he just had a gut feeling it would be a bigger mess than it was worth. After all, he and his siblings didn’t exactly have any other clothes to change into.

Yeah, that had to be it…right?

No matter, 17 thought of another idea on the fly. A mischievous smirk grew on his lips as he came up with it. This was going to be _way_ too good…

“Shorty, I’m going to make this quick…” Before Krillin could react, 17 gripped his shirt and quickly shoved the fighter against the mountain wall to the left. The blackette didn’t intend to injure the little guy or anything, so he made sure to hold his strength back. Even then, the force of the push still resulted in a sore welt on the back of Krillin’s head.

17 pushed his left hand against the fighter’s stomach and basically pinned him to the rocky wall. With his right hand, he punched it right through the hard surface. The android then leaned until his mouth was at Krillin’s ear, putting the cherry on top of the terror cake the short man was dealing with.

“…Listen well. This thing we’re doing, finding Goku, it’s all just a game.” 17 whispered, giving Krillin waves of goosebumps across his back.

“J-Just a game…?”

“Yeah…and I don’t know about you, but I would prefer to keep buzz-kills at least 50 miles away when I’m having fun. Besides, shorty…” 17’s eyes moved up and down Krillin, surveying his whole being. He smirked as he moved his left hand to the bald man’s chin and kept his head from turning.

“It’d be a shame if I just killed you right here. If I had the time, I would’ve loved to play around with you some more,” The android’s cold breath grew huskier as he spoke. Krillin trembled but kept his resolve firm. He couldn’t let this…_thing_ get the better of him. Even as his legs were feeling like jelly and as the goosebumps kept crawling, he had to act now. He couldn’t let these machines play him like a goddamn fiddle!

“I-If you don’t back down from this, th-then…I-I’ll be forced to s-stop y-you…!”

“Aw, that’s cute,” Without warning, 17 pressed his lips against Krillin’s and kept them there for a solid ten seconds. Nobody moved a muscle. Krillin really couldn’t move a muscle if he wanted to. The jelly feeling in his legs was now in full effect. His face grew warmer with every second that passed between the man and the machine.

_(Damn it…! Why…Why am I letting this happen?!) _Krillin could only think as the machine kept him against the rough, scratchy wall and took his breath away.

"17, we must leave soon if we are to catch the target known as Son Goku," Then 16, deciding it was time to get going, rose up in the air with 18 beside him. Whether he knew it or not, his suggestion was probably Krillin's life-saver here since it finally cut off the kiss. The blackette glanced over at his red-head companion with a cheeky look in his eyes.

When 17 finally pulled away, the shit-eating grin returned once again.

“You’re cute, shorty. Maybe I’ll see you again.” With that, the android let go of the poor human, causing him to weakly slide onto the ground. As Krillin was left a panting, nervous wreck, the blackette swiftly flew up into the sky alongside 18 and 16. In about three seconds, the Androids disappeared into the horizon. All Krillin could do was watch helplessly from afar, unable to even call out to those assholes.

“D-Damn it, I’m a freaking failure of a warrior…” The fighter held his head down in shame. As hard as he tried, he knew there was a part of him that enjoyed being in that moment. It was cold and there was very little movement with it, but something about that kiss made Krillin feel _good_, to say the least.

As he shook his head to get that cold kiss out of his mind, he remembered something very important.

“Oh crap! I need to get everyone Senzu beans!” Making sure his legs were still working, Krillin promptly ran over to his battered comrades with a small cloth bag now in hand. He can think about _that_ moment later, right now he needed to make sure nobody had died during then.

As the short man grabbed a bean for each injured fighter, a new path was beginning to weave itself into creation. It was similar to another, more famous path, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t worth investigating. There could be so many new _spicy _moments just waiting to be found.

Now I’m wondering what will happen next for that 17 fellow and poor shorty…

\- - -

For the position I was trying to describe in this story, it's basically this,

It's called a Kabe-don. This story's version of it was just a tad more extreme than the picture.

(BTW Not my pic! Found it on this reddit post: [boop](https://www.reddit.com/r/OreGairuSNAFU/comments/awgf7t/kabedon_by_%E7%84%A1%E9%9B%81/).)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: Found out the previous Kabe Don link and pic were gone, so I replaced them both.


	2. Chapter 2: An Interesting Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Events are still going semi-according to canon, with a few differences. While everything remains the same now, that may not be the case for later on...  
Right now, something interesting had been discovered about these androids...and maybe one of them has discovered a little something about himself, even if he thinks of it as nothing important.

“So, just what the hell was that all about?”

“Hmm? What’re you talking about?”

The Androids were currently flying above a sparse, snowy landscape. It had been a few hours since their battle with the Z-Warriors and they were no worse for wear. 17’s and 18’s clothes were a bit tattered, but they looked completely unharmed even with a few tears and scuffs here or there. It was still freezing cold, so their next objective centered around finding a truck with a heater and some new clothes, at least for 18.

“I mean with that dweeb you kissed. What the hell was that for?” The blonde twin continued with her question.

“Oh, that. You jealous that you didn’t get some of that first?” 17 poked his sister with a cheeky grin.

“N-No! It’s just that out of all the crap we’ve pulled, _that_ was something I’d never expect you to do! You just always seemed more interested in the cute girls we’d run into than some…bald midget.” 18 straight face faltered a bit. She folded her arms and glanced away to hide her light blush.

“Aw, come on 18! I thought you knew I liked them both ways. Besides, we’ve been cooped up in those metal prisons for so long, you can’t blame me for wanting to have a little fun now, can you?” 17 pretended to sound offended as his twin sister scoffed.

“Beating up those other guys wasn’t enough? Your idea of ‘fun’ is to kiss some dude who probably wants us dead?” 18 said with an unimpressed frown.

“Tch, whether he likes us or not doesn’t factor into the equation. I’ll take whoever the hell I want as long as they’re cute enough. And I won’t lie, that shorty’s got something to him that just…_gets to you_, y’know?” Did…Did 17 show the slightest hint of a blush right there? If he did, he was pretty good at drawing attention away from it.

“I think that pink you’ve on got says you agree with me. Am I right?” The blackette grinned smugly at his sister, who was rocking her own blush as well.

“Sh-Shut up, you've got pink on you too…  
“A-And...ᴬˡˡ ʸᵒᵘ ᵈᶦᵈ ʷᵃˢ ˢᵗᵉᵃˡ ᵐʸ ᶦᵈᵉᵃ, ᵈᵘᵐᵐʸ…” 18 whispered as she glared at her stupid little brother.

Ha! She totally wanted to kiss shorty too! That reaction is so priceless…

But whatever, that doesn’t matter for right now. 17 just spotted something off in the snowy distance. Parked at a rest stop a few dozen miles away was a pink delivery van with the logo for ‘Lucky Foods’ plastered on the side. It wasn’t anywhere near the android’s preferred style, but it’ll have to do for now.

"Alright gang, I think we just found our new ride."

"Ugh, that tacky thing? Please…"18 scoffed in disgust.

"Hey, calm down. Maybe when we get the chance, we can spray paint that baby black and paint some hot rods at the end. What do you guys say? You down with that 16?"

The red-headed android nodded.

"Affirmative. If that is what you want, then I have no complaints as long as I call shotgun."

"Um, do you know how to drive big-guy?"17 raised an eyebrow at his sibling's request.

"Drive? I said I am taking the back seat. You may drive if you wish, 17."

"Huh. Well, I got no complaints there. Let's do this!"

After shaking out those boxes of food and terrifying the company workers into staying put, the Androids drove off in their new ride. 17 felt like this day couldn't get any better for his little 'family'…

\- - -Meanwhile- - -

“I _don’t_ believe you.”

“I almost didn’t believe it either Trunks, but that’s what happened! I swear!”

Krillin and Trunks were currently standing before the door to Dr. Gero’s underground lab, ready to search for any information regarding the Androids and/or their new enemy, Cell. All was going well until the time traveler decided to prod Krillin about his interaction with the Androids. He had been quiet about it at first, shying his eyes away as it came up. But the short man eventually caved in and confessed to what had happened. Needless to say, the lavender-haired teen wasn’t all that impressed with his companion.

“So you just let that _thing_ waltz over to you and break your guard _with a kiss_?” Trunks growled irritably. The bald fighter was sweating nervously as the teenager gave him the most uncomfortable death glare he’d ever seen. He knew that the kid hated the Androids more than anyone else, but he didn’t think he would get this angry…

“N-Now I know what you’re thinking, but I-I was preparing to fight them just before…before _that _happened. I’m b-being honest here! Believe me!” Krillin flustered as he held his hands up in defense. Trunks just sighed with _great __annoyance_.

“Whatever. It’s _fine_, I guess. Better than getting knocked out or having your arms broken. Besides, we probably would’ve died out there if those monsters decided to do anything else to you…” The time traveler grumbled as he walked towards the lab entrance. The shorter man stood well behind him, unsure if he should get closer or if he should stay away.

“I-I guess we’re lucky he only kissed me, huh?” Krillin laughed nervously, rubbing his neck.

“Yeah, lucky…” Trunks proceeded to open the giant metal doors before him. Inside laid a gigantic machine that almost reached the roof of the lab. It looked like a tower with all the little lights and the glass top decorating it. Fitting, since you could say it’s technically a computer tower. Besides the other computer towers and machines littering the area, there was one other key detail just to the right of Gero’s computer.

A glowing glass pod, containing several mechanical arms and filled to the brim with some kind of liquid. Inside, just above a small light, floated a tiny little creature. It was the size of a baby chameleon and looked like it could fit right in the palm of your hand.

“This must be Cell…” Trunks mumbled as he placed a hand on the container. Krillin stared at the thing with complete hatred and anxiousness.

“This thing…it’s got the cells of all our friends and enemies. I can sense Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, even some of me!” Krillin exclaimed in disgust. He’s seen the kind of damage this monster’s done to innocent people. Even if he’d only seen the aftermath, that alone was enough to make the fighter’s stomach churn in horror. Immediately, Krillin held out his arms and prepared to blow this place to high heaven.

“Let’s just blast this place right now, Trunks!”

“Wait a moment, Krillin!” Trunks held another hand out and stopped the short man’s rash decision. The time traveler looked around the tank to see a small work table lay behind it. Long pieces of paper messily decorated the metal desk. There were so many complex equations, symbols, and graphs written on each one that Krillin thought it may as well have been a foreign language. However, it was the complete opposite for Trunks, who seemed to understand just what these complicated sheets held.

“Krillin, these papers…they're plans for the Androids!” The teen exclaimed in awe.

“R-Really!? Then do you see anything about Cell in there?”

“No, but we can still work with these! You aren’t going to believe this, but it looks like the Androids aren’t even machines!”

Krillin’s eyes widened in shock. If these things aren’t even machines, then…

“Wait, they aren’t!? Then just what are those guys, anyway?!”

“From the looks of it, enhanced superhumans. Aside from a few mechanical implants, 17 and 18 have just about everything inside them improved with some bio-organic components! Only 16 seems to be a true android here.”

So the twins weren’t even machines at all! They were, at best, just some poor teenagers given superpowers by some old douche! Gero wanted weapons of mass destruction and he made them alright. Megalomaniacs who'll commit terrible atrocities and slaughter thousands just to entertain themselves for brief moments of time…

But this brought up a new question…

“If these guys really aren’t androids, then what do we call them?” Krillin pondered, folding his arms.

“I dunno. The schematics here don’t call them anything other than their serial numbers. If they did have real names, Gero didn’t bother writing them down anywhere…” Trunks shook his head as he rolled all the papers into one big tube. With plans under his arm, the time traveler looked back at his companion with a determined look.

“We need to get these plans to my mother as soon as possible. With her help, we might finally catch on to the Androids’ weakness!”

“Alright, I’m game. But first, let’s destroy that thing with the rest of this craphole!” Krillin pointed a finger to the baby Cell’s tank. Trunks nodded in agreement.

“Right!”

The two fighters immediately got to work blasting everything around the lab. Consoles, pods, Gero’s master computer, anything and everything was destroyed from the inside out by bursts of plasma. The only thing left to take care of was Cell. Krillin and Trunks both shot a massive beam at the tank, disintegrating the lizard-like embryo into nothing. All that was left to do was escape the facility collapsing around them.

“Krillin, this place coming down! We need to get out of here, fast!”

“I’m right behind you!”

The next few moments were a blur as the two warriors flew out of the hatch they entered from and soared into the skies above. Once they were high enough, Krillin produced another ball of energy from his hand and aimed it at the ground.

“It’s time to go to hell, you bastard!!!” The bald fighter threw the white sphere with all the force he could exert. Not one second after it landed, a column of fire exploded from beneath the rubble, throwing massive amounts of smoke and soot into the air. Luckily, Krillin and Trunks managed to fly off before any of it got onto them. As they soared through the air, Krillin just couldn’t help but talk about what just happened.

“Man, did we get a lucky break or what?!” The short man exclaimed in excitement.

“Yeah! Listen Krillin, do you think you can take these plans over to my mother for me?” Trunks requested.

“Uh, sure! Are you not coming with me?”

“No, I need to find my father and train with him. If he really can reach beyond Super Saiyan, then he might be able to teach me as well!”

“Trunks, you know that Vegeta is kind of a prick, right? I don’t think he’d let you train with him!”

“Maybe, but I have to at least try! I want to convince him that I’m worthy enough to fight with!”

“Well, alright then. If you really have to do this, then I’m not stopping you!”

Trunks smiled as he handed the Androids’ schematics over to his companion.

“Thanks, Krillin! Take good care of these, okay?”

“You can count on me, Trunks! We’ll stop those Androids in no time!” Krillin reassured the lavender-haired teen. They gave each other a confident smile before the half-Saiyan headed off in another direction.

“Good luck out there!!!” The bald fighter shouted out before Trunks disappeared over the horizon. Now left to himself, Krillin began to think about this whole situation. Specifically, he thought back to that black-haired android, 17…

_(I wouldn’t be shocked if these papers just said he was a machine anyway. The way he and those other two moved felt so…robotic.)_

As he continued to ponder, Krillin moved his free hand up to his mouth and touched his lips. The more he thought about _that_ moment, the brighter his blush became.

_(His lips felt so cold back there. I didn’t feel any kind of heat when we…)_

Krillin slapped his hand onto his head, trying to get that kiss out of his head.

_(Damn it, you can’t let yourself fall for his mind-games, Krillin! Even if it felt kind of…nice, that 17’s just screwing with you! You can’t let him get the better of you!)_

…

_(But…I wonder how things could’ve gone if they were on our side…)_ If Krillin had nostrils, there might be a hint of blood coming out right now.

But, whatever! There’s a bigger task at hand here and he can’t let his stupid body keep him from doing what was right. Even if 17 was kind of attractive and fit a couple of Krillin’s check boxes, he was still an evil psycopath! He can’t let Trunks’s future come to fruition, so he needs to do whatever he could to prevent it! Even if it meant destroying the Androids…

Even if it meant destroying 17…

Hope Krillin's got what it takes to do that…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So did you know that even calling the Androids 'Cyborgs' is inaccurate as well? Look through 17's wiki page, it's a pretty interesting find! Check the biography section for more details: https://dragonball.fandom.com/wiki/Android_17


	3. Chapter 3: Role Reversal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 17 gets a bit more than he bargained for when 18's heroic sacrifice only makes the situation even worse!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...It's always the third chapter that's a slog, isn't it? Well, that's what I get for going beyond what my outline said. I even had to divide this one up into two separate chapters again!  
Luckily, this is the half that I enjoyed writing the most and I hope you readers can enjoy it as well!

“Wow, way to go overkill on the bug man, buddy.” 17 patted 16 on the back as he stared into the massive, smoldering crater before him. The red-head had gone absolutely _apeshit_ on that bug-man Cell and blasted him to hell with these awesome arm-cannons! Though he didn’t show it in his voice, 17 had been blown away by the sheer spectacle and power of the fight.

“Holy shit, 16. You actually did it!” 18 had a similar reaction to her brother, though she was more amazed that her new sibling was even able to defeat that disgusting monster at all. It had already wiped out Piccolo with relative ease and that guy was able to hold his own against her brother relatively well. Either he and Cell were weaker than she thought or 16 was an absolute powerhouse.

However, 16 didn’t seem as happy as his other two siblings were.

“Why are you two still here?!” He demanded with as much emotion as he could muster.

“Well, we can’t just leave you here, big guy! We’re family!” 17 exclaimed.

“Yeah! Besides, we should be okay now. I mean, you nuked that green ass and then some!” 18 argued, pointing to all the other holes that the energy blast created.

“No, you do not understand! Cell isn’t the type of enemy who will die from such an attack! He may yet still live!” 16 then turned to his blackette brother with a fierce look in his eye.

“17, you must take 18 and fly away while you still have the chance!” The red-headed android pleaded, but 17 wasn’t having any of it.

“Are you kidding me? That asshole had been busting us up and you’re expecting me to just run away without paying him back?!” 17 spat into the hole Cell was blasted into. The teen was letting his cockiness get the better of him. He didn’t even notice a certain someone rising from a hole behind him.

“I’m not going anywhere until I’ve squashed that damn bug with my bare hands!”

“Oh, I’d like to see you try, my _dear brother_.” A low, raspy voice suddenly rang out of nowhere. 16 and 18 watched their sibling in terror as they saw Cell levitate behind 17.

“17!!! LOOK OUT!!!” She shrieked as the green monster hovered behind her brother. 17 barely had any time to react as he saw Cell’s tail hovering above him. Time was slowing to a crawl.

17 wanted to do as 16 said and fly away to the farthest reaches of the Earth. Just grab his sister and run until they couldn’t be found anymore. But he couldn’t. Instead, he watched like a helpless child as Cell’s tail descended on him, unable to move a muscle.

_(This…is how I’m gonna die…?)_ Echoed his final thought throughout his mind…

At least, it would’ve been had something not pushed him out of the way in time. The impact was similar to a football tackle, violently shoving the frozen android several feet away from imminent doom.

17 groaned as he lifted himself from the ground.

_(Ow…What the hell was that-)_ That question was answered when the android turned his head back to Cell. In front of the monster, the tail had caught whatever shoved 17 away and was in the process of sucking it up. Whoever it was, all you could see of them were these black flats and yellow socks they wore-

Oh god, 17 knew exactly who wore that type of footwear.

“**18!!!!!**”

\- - -Meanwhile, at a stopped plane- - -

Needless to say, Bulma was _fast_ at finding exploitable weaknesses. According to the schematics Krillin and Trunks had obtained, the Androids both have bombs implanted within that could be remotely detonated. Within only a day, the genius herself was able to create a detonator that could work on both Androids! There was just a slight problem…

“Now, the signal is pretty weak. You’ll have to get within ten feet of one of the Androids if you want to blow either one of the bombs. Otherwise, it’s about as useful as a paperweight,” Bulma explained nonchalantly.

“W-Woah,_ ten feet_?! That’s a little, uh, close for comfort, don’t you think? Couldn’t you have made the range any bigger?” Krillin asked nervously, though this just seemed to annoy Bulma.

“If I had more time, I would’ve done just that! But we can’t twiddle our thumbs for much longer, Krillin! This is the best chance we’ve got at killing two birds with one stone!”

The short monk sighed and resigned himself to his fate. This was practically a suicide mission. Either Krillin will be brutalized by the Androids, have Cell drink him, or explode…_again_.

_(At least exploding will do more good than last time, heh heh… I am so screwed.)  
_

“Alright, I’ll try to get as close as I can. B-But if this thing kills me, I’m putting all the blame on you!”

“Sure, whatever…” Bulma just ignored her friend’s empty threats and pulled out a small container from behind Baby Trunks’s child seat.

“Here, you should take this as well. It’s got some battle suits that Vegeta wanted me to make for him. They’re just like titanium, tough and light!” The genius bragged to Krillin, who made a gesture to put it away.

“Oh, you’d just be wasting those on me, Bulma. Goku and the other’s probably need them more than I ever could! They’re all over at Kami’s place, so you should drop them off there.”

“Hmph, fine, suit yourself. Just make sure you don’t screw this up, okay? I’ll be the one blaming _you_ if this plan is ruined…” Bulma gave her friend a serious glare with her warning. If there’s one thing you should know about Bulma, it’s that you don’t ever want to make her angry. That was Krillin’s motivation for doing this anyway…

“Y-Yeah, don’t worry about me. There won’t be any problems here on out!” The bald man assured the genius mother.

“Okay, then. Good luck out there!” Bulma closed the hatch to her capsule plane and took off to the Lookout. Krillin couldn’t help but stare at the remote he held. Just a plastic white box with an antenna and one big red button. It looked so comically large, an average joe might confuse the thing for a kid’s toy.

_(Pretty silly looking for a device meant to…to kill someone.)_ Krillin gulped at that thought. He wasn’t just killing a cold, heartless machine now. He was going to kill a human being…

The ‘Androids’ were perfectly willing to kill innocent people and cause mayhem for fun, yes, but…something about this task felt _wrong_. If you think about it, those two were just normal teenagers kidnapped and turned into killing machines against their will. Take away their powers and they’re just a couple of rebellious kids who think very highly of themselves. 17 and 18 probably would’ve grown out of their shenanigans if Gero hadn’t set his eyes on them.

Maybe then, they wouldn’t have to be chased by a power-hungry cicada monster…

Maybe then, they wouldn’t have to die like this…

Maybe then…Krillin wouldn’t have to kill 17…

“It’s always back to him, isn’t it…” The monk mumbled bitterly. As hard as he’s tried, he hasn’t been able to get that damn android out of his head. At first, Krillin thought he was overreacting to that stupid kiss. Then he thought it was all a part of the blackette’s little ‘game’ as an excuse. But it couldn’t be denied anymore…

Krillin was infatuated with Android 17 and he absolutely hated that fact with the passion of a thousand suns. He wasn’t sure if he was _emotionally_ in love with the guy, but the short man knew for certain that his body was in love with him…

His bravado, that smirk, those icy-blue eyes that could _penetrate_ your very soul…Something about them all made Krillin’s heart skip a beat and drive him up the wall at the same time! It’s bad enough the blackette takes his focus off the task at hand, it’s even worse when the short man has to get up close to the super-human! He already had to deal with the blackette just earlier today and he didn’t want to endure any more of his…ugh, _seductive allure…_

\- - -FlashBack- - -

_A few hours ago, the Androids came to Kame House. No big explosion, grand entrance, or anything. They just stood outside on the beach acting like they weren’t Enemy No. 1. The only reason anyone knew they were there was that Piccolo had flipped out and woke his three comrades from a nap they’d been taking._

_And now here they were, standing face-to-face with these thorns in their sides._

_“Well, look who it is. We’ve got the Green Giant, Triclops, I’ll call you Lame-O, and…” 17 pointed a finger as he listed off his names for Piccolo, Tien, and Yamcha. The android’s smirk grew wider when he turned to Krillin, who now wished he was anywhere but here._

_“Hey there, Shorty. Long-time, no see. How’ve you been since we beat up your friends?” 17 gave the short man a coy grin._

_“I-I have a name, you know…!” Krillin glanced away from the blackette. He could barely keep a straight face just thinking about him and now fate’s put the guy within walking distance! 17 chuckled at the short man’s shyness._

_“Oh, I bet you do, sweetheart.” The raven teased in that husky voice from before, causing another wave of goosebumps to crawl up Krillin’s neck. _ _“And as much as I’d love to learn everything about you, I’ve got more important business to deal with first.”_

_“Where is the individual known as Son Goku?” 16 demanded in his robotic voice, ruining the mood his sibling tried to set up._

_“Do you really think we’ll just tell you where he is?” Piccolo growled. 17 just shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. The bravado of this douche, I tell you what._

_“I kinda figured you’d put up a fight anyway. But if you aren’t going to play nicely, then…heh, well-”_

_“ᴼʰ ᵐʸ ᵍᵒᵈ, we’re going to kill you! Seriously 17, you don’t need to drag this out. Let’s just get it over with,” 18 pinched her brow as she reprimanded her twin._

_“Alright, yOuR mAjEsTy!” The blackette mocked.  
“So what’s it gonna be, dipshits?”_

_Luckily, Piccolo was a quick thinker._

_“If it’s a fight you want, then I know the perfect place. There’s a series of deserted islands just east from here. Follow me.” The Namekian rose into the air and flew towards the direction he pointed out._

_“With pleasure…” 18 purred as she and 16 followed their enemy. Before he flew after the others, 17 looked over to Krillin with a cheeky grin._

_"W-What...?"_

_“Hope I haven’t been keeping you awake, Shorty.” He winked before charging after the other androids. _ _As soon as they were all gone from sight, Yamcha leaned over to his friend’s ear._

_“Hey, Krillin…Was that guy flirting-”  
_

_“I don’t know! I don’t wanna talk about it, either!” Krillin quickly shot that question down. He didn’t need more people judging him for something he couldn’t control…_

\- - -Present Time- - -

Krillin sighed as he flew to the island Piccolo pointed out before. He was getting a sinking feeling in his stomach as he got closer to the battlefield. Just twenty minutes ago, you could’ve easily sensed the Namekian even if you were thousands of kilometers away from him.

_(Now I can’t even feel if he’s alive or not!)_

Furthermore, the battlefield was once again covered in an intense light as someone else’s Ki skyrocketed.

_(I got a feeling that this isn’t going to be as easy as I thought…)_ Krillin gulped as the light began to die down. Great, now he can finally see what fresh hell awaits him.

Right away, Krillin could see his friend, Tien, standing on a cliff. Maybe he knows what’s been going on here! Tucking the detonator under his gi, the short man descended to meet the cyclops.

“Tien, thank God you’re here! I was starting to get worried when Piccolo’s energy went dark!”

“Yeah, and now we’ve got an even bigger problem on our hands…!” Tien looked like he just witnessed the apocalypse firsthand.

“You’re talking about that insane energy spike, right? What’s going on with that?”

“It’s from Cell…_He’s just absorbed one of the Androids!_”

OH.

**Ȍ̴̲̞̣̜̩̲̊̐̿͒̿H̶͎͓̥̣̼̱͆̊̃̂ ̵͈̱̖͉̮̪̽̐̊̈́̽̏S̴͔̲̯͎̪͇̄̑͆̈͝͝H̵̤̪̘͎̞̤̎͑̊̿͒̕I̸͉͍̟͙͉͂̿̿̂̋̚͜T̴̞̱͕̫͕̟̑̍̃̐̕͝.  
**

“Wait, WHAT!?”

Tien simply pointed to where the monster was currently standing. Cell wasn’t the cicada-like monster he’d encountered back at the Basil Airport anymore. He still had some elements of an insect, but almost everything else about him seemed to have changed. His feet now resembled Piccolo’s shoes, that crest on his head now resembled a crown with a black orb tucked within, and his orange beak was now replaced with disgusting pink lips. The cicada-like wings were now completely gone, which only accentuated the sheer bulk of the monster. Besides the signature speckles that dotted the exoskeleton, many parts of Cell were now accented with a shiny black polish, heightening the intimidating aura he exuded.

Man, it takes a lot to say that Cell was now a bigger threat than ever before! It almost made you forget that he was now chasing after the fleeing 16 and 17. They were running faster than anything Krillin’s seen and yet the disgusting monster was catching up to them without even breaking a sweat!

“Tien, we have to stop him before he absorbs 17!” Krillin exclaimed.

“I’m not blind, you idiot! I can see that!” Tien angrily shouted back, accidentally scaring his comrade into silence. The triclops didn’t intend to yell like that, but he didn’t have any time to feel guilty. The two fighters have to act fast before it’s too late!

“Krillin, I need you to get to those Androids and take them as far away from here as you can.”

“B-But what about Cell? You saw how fast he just flew, there’s no way I can outspeed him!” The short fighter argued.

“That's why I’m going to cause a distraction for him! When I've got the freak where I want him, you take Android 17 and get the hell out of here! Got it?!”

No objections there! Krillin just gulped and nodded before sliding down the cliff. As the chase for the androids began, Tien ascended into the air and prepared himself for the ‘distraction’ he was about to do.

“I’m sorry, Chiaotzu…I might not make it back alive…”

\- - -Androids- - -

“No. 17! We must go now!” 17 didn’t respond as 16 grabbed his wrist and began their escape. The raven-haired man barely registered what was happening around him. He couldn’t even run with his red-head sibling, letting himself dangle about as the bulkier android did all the running for them. The events of the past five minutes replayed in his head; 18 tackling her brother to the ground, Cell’s tail-vacuum descending onto her, watching as her body traveled into the monster’s back.

The blonde android had sacrificed herself to save her idiot brother, but it was all going to be a waste anyway if all that did was make Cell an even more dangerous foe.

_(Sis…why would you do that for me…?) _If his tear-ducts still worked, 17 would most definitely have the dams burst right now.

As 16 and 17 bolted for the edge of the land, a certain bug-man was already hot on their trails.

“Not so fast!” Cried the slimy voice that I, as the author, can only describe as _blobular_.

{I literally cannot find any other word to describe Semi-Perfect Cell’s voice. If someone knows a better adjective besides _blobular_ and _fat_, be my guest to post it in the comments.}

Within only a few seconds, Cell had already gotten way ahead of his targets and easily intercepted them just before land met the ocean. The way he eyed 17 like a piece of candy could make even a machine like No. 16 shudder in disgust.

“Did you think I was going to let you go so easily? You can’t outrun me and you two are certainly no match for me at this level!” Cell boasted to the dismayed androids. 16 kept his sibling right behind him, ready to use himself as a live barrier. But 17 couldn't just stand back and watch this _thing_ gloat like he's a god damn king or something! Nobody kills his sister and gets away with it alive.

“Y-You bastard…You’re going to pay for what you did to my sister!”

“NO, 17! STAND DOWN!!!” But it was too late. 17 pushed past the taller android and charged towards Cell. He should’ve known better than to attack head-on, but he couldn’t just stand by and let his sister’s murderer do whatever he wants! The blackette mustered all the power he could handle as he punched the creature square in the face. Let me tell you, the force of it all would’ve shot a normal human’s brain out from the back of their [head](https://youtu.be/1Q9vMP1CiVc?t=226)!

But it didn’t do that to Cell. Because of course, it wouldn’t work on him! _He’s Cell_! The strongest punch from 17 was never going to do much besides mildly annoy him.

“N-No way…” 17 pulled away, terror sinking in like a mosquito’s bite. Cell chuckled evilly. With a deathly sneer, the imperfect monster raised an open palm to his ‘brother’s’ face and charged a small ball of energy…

“Let me give you a taste of the power our dear sister has given me.”

\- - -Krillin- - -

As the bald man raced to the Androids, another bright light flashed at their location. After the light had faded, Krillin could see something else in the distance. Somebody was…flying backward in his direction?

_(Why would someone be trying to fly backward-)_ And then it hit him.

Well, almost. The person flying towards him thankfully wasn’t going fast enough to crash into him, though he did land just a few inches away from him. Krillin took a few unsure steps forward to check on the poor fellow only to see that it’s…!

“A-Android 17!”

To put it simply, the poor android was absolutely wrecked. He was completely sprawled out on the ground, drifting in and out of consciousness. His head was turned to where you can only see the left side of his face, though there were smoke trails coming from the other side.

Krillin knelt down to 17 and carefully began to hold his head up. Regret filled the man as soon as he turned the raven’s head over to check it out.

“Oh my god, are you okay?! That wasn’t exactly a pretty faAAGH!” Krillin shrieked, nearly dropping 17 in shock. The entire right side of the blackette’s face, barring the area around his mouth, was completely seared over. The once fair skin was now a nasty, melty mess that now overtook the right eye. Damaged tissue covered the blue orb, acting as a glue that kept the eyelid shut tight. Luckily, no hair was melted into the skin, but a good chunk of it was singed and crusty.

The android must’ve heard the shriek. He opened his other eye to see Krillin towering over him.

“Ugh, S-Shorty…? Is that you…?” 17 weakly muttered. It was surreal to see the overconfident raven now reduced to an incomprehensible mess. Surely, this would instantly kill any infatuation that the bald fighter had for him! Finally, he would be rid of those foolish and questionable thoughts!

…That didn’t happen. Krillin’s heart just broke in half seeing 17 badly burnt and collapsed in his arms. Instead of losing something to this god-awful sight, something else was gained at that moment. Was it bravery, confidence, or just plain foolishness? Whatever it was, the monk felt the need to do more than press that damn button! By that, I mean to hell with the damn button! Krillin was going to get this android out of this alive, whether anyone else liked it or not!

“17, it’s going to be okay! I-I’m going to get you out of here, don’t worry!” Krillin assured. But before he could try moving the android, a new obstacle decided to drop by and say hello.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Krillin.” Boomed a deep, disgusting voice.

The monk looked over to see Cell walking over from about half a yard away. Instinctively, Krillin wrapped 17’s arm over his shoulder and lifted him up as best he could. The height differences made it a little tricky, but it would get the job done.

“Now just where do you think you’re going, little man?” Cell suddenly jumped over to the fleeing fighter, now standing just a few feet away from him.

“Back off, bud…You don’t want to mess with me!” Krillin warned.

“Ha! Oh, that’s rich! Do you think you can stand up to me? You could barely keep up in my last form!” Cell laughed as he inched closer to his prey. For every step he took, Krillin took another one back.

_(Damn it, he’s right! I can’t fend him off like this, not with 17 out of commission!)_ Krillin grimaced as Cell’s tail opened up once again. The way that thing _moved_ made him want to throw up, almost as much as the frog-face it's owner was rocking.

“Now Krillin, just give me No. 17. There’s no need to keep defying me like this. You’re only delaying the inevitable!”

“No fucking way! I’m not letting go of him!” Krillin shouted, venom filling his voice. As they backed away, 17 weakly lifted his free arm and pointed a finger at Cell.

“There's no w-way in hell I’d ever let something as b-bat-shit ugly as _you_…get anywhere near me…!” He then proceeded to spit right onto the monster’s face. As a result, Cell’s patience was promptly chucked out the window. If these two weren’t going to cooperate, then he might as well get his hands dirty anyway!

“Hmph! Very well! You two leave me with no choice!”

“Yeah, and that choice is for you to burn in hell!” A familiar voice rang out. Both Cell and Krillin looked up to see Tien hovering miles above them. It looked like he was prepping a normal Tri-Beam, but something felt _off_…

“What the hell are you doing, weakling? Do you think sitting around making hand-shapes is going to scare me?” Let Cell believe what he will, but Krillin could tell that this attack wasn’t the same as what destroyed a Tournament Ring over a decade ago. There was so much more energy being put into this that it nearly made the shorter man lose his footing.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Tien!!” Krillin called out.

“I do! Now feel the wrath of my Neo Tri-Beam, monster! HA!!!”

With a booming shout, Tien launched an intense bolt of energy right at the speckled abomination. The power of the blast not only kept Cell grounded, but it also created this massive square crater in the ground below. The Tri-Beam also caused this huge gust of wind upon impact, accidentally blowing Krillin and 17 back down. As the orange light of the attack faded, Tien looked down to his bewildered friend with the most ferocious expression imaginable.

“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, KRILLIN?! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!!!”

He didn’t need to tell him twice! The millisecond he got up, Krillin made a bee-line for the island’s edge. Meanwhile, Tien would keep blasting Cell further into the square crater with all the energy he had. He couldn’t stop until his friend had escaped from here, even if it means Tien himself might not make it!

As the ocean drew closer and closer, Krillin saw No. 16 getting into some kind of launching stance. Noticing the bald man was carrying his sibling, the robot also had his left hand stretched out behind him as if to say…

“Take my hand, now!”

Thankfully, great minds think alike. The short fighter grabbed onto the huge limb with 17 in tow. As the bulkier android shot himself and the others through the air, Krillin thought he heard something whisper in his ear…

“Thanks…Shorty…”


	4. Chapter 4: Fate Doesn't Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm going to be attending college starting tomorrow, so an update might take a while. I hope this is will tide everyone over for a while until I can get it done. I'm also changing the rating from T to M since I feel that one part of this chapter might be a bit too extreme for just a T rating.
> 
> Please enjoy the brain farts I tried to make sense of.

It didn’t take long for the group to find a decent hiding spot. Android 16 had spotted a larger archipelago shortly after he, Android 17, and Krillin had fled the last island. This new island 16 chose was filled to the brim with trees and wildlife, so at least the canopy gave them some cover. Though it wasn’t long after finding a good place to rest that Cell arrived at the archipelago himself. Long story short, he blew up all the other islands save this one and now he was contending with Vegeta and Trunks.

While the Saiyans were wailing on the enemy, 16 and Krillin both stood guard for 17. Alongside that disfiguring burn, the raven seemed to be suffering from some kind of head trauma after taking that blast to the face. He regained consciousness a little while ago and still had some faculties in check, but he was still in no shape to fight.

“How are you feeling, 17?” Krillin softly asked. He made sure to check up on the android whenever he could, even if only for a few seconds.

“Like shit.” That’s been his answer for the past five trips.

“So it’s still the same, huh?”

“Sh-shut up, you’d say the same if you were in my shoes.” 17 retorted.

“Hm. Touché.” Krillin mumbled before walking back over to 16. The android seemed to be staring intently at the far-off battle.

“Hey, how’s it looking out there? Is anyone winning yet?”

“…This isn’t good. Vegeta might let Cell go.”

“Wait, what!? Y-You’re joking, right!?”

“I’m afraid I do not have the capacity for jokes. Vegeta might spare Cell for the sake of fighting him at full power.” The red-head spoke matter-of-factly.

17 growled as 16 relayed his analysis, anger unsurprisingly rising at the bad news.

“God damn it all!” The raven slammed his fist into the rocky wall he sat against. It got lodged in the small cliffside pretty deep, so Krillin had to come over and help pull the hand out.

“I thought your friends were going to kill Cell, Shorty! What the hell happened?!”

“_Vegeta_ happened, that’s what,” Krillin grumbled. The Saiyan Prince was an asshole, but this was a whole new level of asshole. This was ‘Jesus extending his hand in friendship, but you spat in his mouth’ levels of asshole. Now, this whole situation needs restructuring and Krillin couldn’t think while 17 reacted accordingly to Vegeta’s dick move.

“I’m just gonna go…over here-ish for a moment,” Nobody answered back. He’ll just take the silence as a yes.

When Krillin couldn’t feel eyes on him anymore, he carefully felt around his gi for _that_ thing.

_(Ah, here it is.)_

Krillin slowly pulled out the detonator, making sure to watch for any unexpected visits from the androids. Once the coast was clear, he held the little device in his hands. If Vegeta was going to let Cell go, then this button had to be pressed. Krillin can't risk letting the freak absorb Android 17. He can't even risk trusting Vegeta to take care of the problem! It's this or the end of the world!

And so begins the mental struggle.

_(Okay Krillin, it’s now or never. You got to press that button.)_

_(Yeah…but, doesn’t this feel just a bit wrong?)_

_(What do you mean?! He’s a psychopath! He may look weak now, but 17 could probably snap your neck without a second thought if he wanted!)_

_(But what about back in the mountains? He could’ve done that…He could’ve sliced open my throat! But he didn’t, he just…)_

_(Are you thinking about that kiss again?! 17 was screwing with your mind! There’s no way someone like him could ever feel love or compassion!)_

_(What do you know?! You saw the plans back at Gero's lab, he isn't even a machine!)_

_(He may not be a machine, but he's still a major threat! Either Cell absorbs him and kills us all or 17 does it himself! Trunks told you he's a megalomaniac! Why are you doubting the man who saw firsthand what kind of destruction that android can do?!)_

_(I-I don’t know…But something tells me that isn't the case here! Besides, what if there’s another way to defeat Cell?)_

_(Do you really think it’s that easy?! The only way to make sure Cell loses is to push that button! You can’t wimp out, Krillin!)_

_(B-But 17’s a human! He probably has hopes a-and dreams and emotions…!)_

_(But if we leave him alive, we risk letting the whole planet die! Push the button now!)_

_(I…I can’t do it! I can’t press it!!)_

_(DO IT!!!)_

_(**I CAN’T!!!**)_

“Hm?”

17 looked over to where the Z-Fighter was standing. Crap, did he hear something from Krillin? He couldn’t have…I mean, Krillin was having a mental conflict with himself! He never really talked to himself openly, but maybe he was whimpering? Maybe that’s what happened…

“Shorty, what’re you doing over-”

_(Fuck it.)_

A metal crunch echoed throughout the forest, scaring birds and other critters out of their trees. Deafening silence surrounded the party…

“What did you just do, Shorty…?”

“Uh…If I said I destroyed a button that would make you explode, would you be angry or happy?”

Krillin let the remnants of the detonator drop to the ground as proof of his claim. When he let the pieces go, a mild sting covered the palm of his hand. His hand must’ve gotten cut on something when he crushed it. The bald man stared at the little knick, dazed as all hell. 17, on the other hand, went from confused to almost livid as he realized what just happened.

“Y-You idiot…Why the hell did you do that?!” The scarred raven demanded.  
“That remote…That had to be your only chance to beat me, right? You could’ve destroyed me…You could’ve shown that Green Goblin what for!”

That wasn’t the reaction he was expecting.

“17, I…I couldn’t do that to you…” Krillin still couldn’t believe what he’d just done. The android couldn’t believe it either!

“The fuck do you mean by that? What were you thinking!?”

If 17’s flirty gaze pierced, then his glare bored like a drill. Even when he was sitting down, the android made Krillin feel smaller than an ant.

“Th-That doesn’t matter right now! We need to get out here before Cell catches up to us!” Krillin walked up to 17 and held his hand out, but it was smacked it away.

“Actually, I think it matters a whole fucking lot! You don’t just give your enemy, me or Cell, an advantage like that for no reason! Now tell me-”

“HEY!!! CELL KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE!!!”

_(…Oh shit.)_

Krillin looked up to where the voice echoed from and his eyes widened in horror. Trunks was hovering miles above him and just next to him was the bio-organic monster, Cell. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the bug-man charged head-first to the androids…

_(No! What do I do?! If I let him get here, he’s going to absorb Android 17! Think Krillin, think!!)_

And think he did! It didn’t take long to come up with a decent escape plan, especially when Trunks started blasting and distracting Cell long enough to get it into motion.

“Okay you two, I think I’ve got a plan!”

“Grr…Fine! At this point, I’ll guess take anything!” The blackette spat as he got himself up. If whatever this guy had in store actually worked, 17 would probably eat his words. Or his bandanna. He’ll have to worry about thinking up a thank-you later, though.

_Right now, it’s illusion time._

“Alright. You and 16 go stand over by that rock,” Krillin pointed to a large boulder about ten feet south. 16 simply nodded and walked his brother over there. Once they were at the location, the short fighter explained what was going to happen.

“I’m going to blast the ground just in front of you. It’s going to kick up a lot of dust, but it’ll look like I just destroyed you. The instant there’s enough cover, you need to get out of here as fast as you can! Okay?!” Krillin then prepared two ki blasts in both of his hands.

“Wait, what about you?! Cell’s gonna be _pissed_ when he sees what you’re doing!” 17 argued to no avail. Krillin’s resolve was firmly set now. This was the only way he can save these androids now…

This was the only way he could save Android 17.

“Don’t worry about me! JUST GET READY!!” Without a further word, Krillin began firing blast after blast at the androids’ feet. As expected, pillars of dirt and dust flew up in the air, obscuring everything in front of the Z-Fighter. The barrage didn’t let up for twenty long seconds until Krillin was _absolutely _certain that the androids had left as he’d told them to.

Fortunately for him, he was correct in that assumption. There was no trace of 16 or 17 when the dust finally settled.

The unfortunate part comes in like a wrecking ball on caffeine. Right after the dust had settled, Krillin was instantly launched into the side of a cliff to his right. Something had roundhouse-kicked him in the hip because that shit was broken as F̴̨̼̘̤͍̣̂̐́͑̒̍Ȕ̴̢̨͈̮͙̥̄̓͗̇͝C̶͖̩̜̳̬̖͗̑̾͑̚͠K̵͕͈̞̼̥̣̈̎̀͂͝͠.

Surprise, surprise, Cell was responsible for that and man, is he p̵̨̬̫͕̙̟͗̽̀̐̈́̾i̸̡̥̺͚̘̬͛̇̓́̓͠s̸̨̛̱̦̥͕̣̓͋́̄͝s̴͇͇͕̰͙͈̽͆͊̈͠͝ȩ̸͖̭̫̱̫͂͆͋̃͂͘d̷̨̙̞̘̖̣͑̍̑̑͝.

“I know I should’ve expected as much, but I’m disappointed in you, Krillin.”

Before Krillin could get back up, Cell grabbed his throat and slammed him back into the rocky wall. Without warning, his tail’s stinger stabbed itself right into the short man’s left bicep.

“AACK!”

But nothing was going to be absorbed today. Oh no, no, no…That’d be too merciful.

Instead of stealing any life essence, Cell put his free hand at the base of the stinger and pushed it in as far as it could go, right through all the muscle. Blood began spilling out with every inch the stinger traveled.

“AAAAAGH!!!” Krillin roared in pain as the damn thing scraped on his bone before breaking it in two. Unfortunately, even when he finally pierced the humerus, Cell wasn’t done with his torture just yet.

“Hurts, doesn’t it? It’s all because you refused to cooperate with me, you know. We could have avoided this whole mess if you’d just handed over my brother.”

The tail then pulled out and pierced the shoulder next. It thrashed about, making the wound bigger and bloodier than the last. No bone was broken this time, but now the tail was poking out from the other side and I honestly don’t know how to feel about that. The once-orange section of fabric slowly transitioned into a deep crimson. As the stinger did its damage, Cell took a thumb and pressed it right into the punctured bicep. The nail scratched at the surrounding flesh, tearing up the muscle like there was no tomorrow.

“G-GAAH!! OH GOD, J-JUST STOP!!!” Tears were beginning to run down Krillin’s cheeks as the pain spread across his left arm. A nerve must’ve been struck or something because the arm kept twitching uncontrollably with every violent wiggle. And with every one of those, more blood spilled out like a freaking fountain. Christ on a bike, this was Frieza’s horn all over again but worse! WHERE WAS TRUNKS WHEN YOU NEEDED HIM!?!

**[Hint: Probably dealing with his father’s brand of bullshit as we speak.]**

“If I were an idiot like you, I’d think you had some kind of _death wish_.” The speckled monster then lifted a leg and kneed the poor monk in the stomach, creating a sickening crunch as ribs were cracked and broken. Still not satisfied with his handiwork, Cell twisted the knee around like he was scraping something off his shoe. Vitals were ground into each other as bits of bone stabbed and tore into soft flesh.

“A-Ah…eghACK!” Krillin coughed up a combination of vomit blood, spilling it all over Cell’s arm and his gi. I think it’s fair to say that our bald friend was now completely wrecked. Frankly, it’s a miracle that he hasn’t died or passed out from the pain!

“Hmph, you’re weaker than I thought, little man…I suppose I’ll end your misery right here,” Cell chuckled evilly as he surveyed the damaged human for one more place to stab. He wanted to be creative with this one, no just stabbing the midget in the heart or the throat. But where could he aim for…?Then Cell looked at Krillin’s face. His eyes, once wide with pain and horror, were now growing lidded as he struggled to stay conscious. The bio-organic monster’s grin grew three sizes that moment.

“Yes…this will do nicely…” Cell slowly pulled his stinger back, aiming for the brown orb.

“Is th-this…how I die…?” Krillin muttered weakly.

“Aw…cheer up, little man. It may not be painless, but at least you will die a ‘hero’ to your friends, mwahaha…”

Krillin tried to shut his eyes tight, but Cell kept the left set of eyelids forced open with his free hand.

“Nuh-uh-uh! I need to see my bullseye if I want to get this done.”

It’s all over now. This is how Krillin was going to die, once and for all. With a broken arm, wrecked organs, and soon, a gouged eye. He couldn’t struggle even if he’d wanted to since all his stamina got flushed down the drain. As the bald fighter took a slow, deep breath, one thought came to mind. One regret that surfaced above all the others.

_(I wish…that I’d gotten a chance to tell 17…how I felt…)_

But as long as he was safe and away from Cell, that’s all that mattered, right? Even with Vegeta being a prick, there was still a good chance that the other Z-Fighters would be able to take care of the monster after this. Krillin could at least find peace in that hope…

“_LET HIM GO, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!”_ A familiar voice cried out. Within mere moments, Cell was blasted many feet away by a bright ball of energy. Krillin weakly slid to the ground, still sputtering bits of crimson bile.

“16! Help me take him away!” The voice ordered.

“Affirmative. But please be careful, as you are still sustaining major head trauma.”

“I’ll be fine! Just do this for me, okay?”

Krillin felt two arms carefully lift him up from the floor. His right arm was put over what felt like a neck while his left dangled to his side. Since it wasn’t going to work properly, another arm held the poor man up by tightly wrapping around his back.

“Shorty, can you hear me?!”

Krillin turned his head as best he could to follow that voice. A raven-haired young man sporting a nasty burn scar down the left side of his face. A young man who should’ve esCAPED WHEN HE HAD THE CHANCE!!!

“17?! W-What the hell are you d-doing!?”

“What does it look like to you, Shorty?! I’m saving your ass!” The android readjusted the short man’s arm so that it could hold on to him more easily.

“B-But I’m just going to hold you two back like this! If C-Cell catches us, the whole p-p-planet will be in danger! Just get out while you still have the chance!!”

But Android 17 fiercely shook his head.

“No way, you idiot! I’m not letting my debt to you go unpaid!” The raven then looked over to his red-haired sibling.  
“16, get ready to haul ass and move!”

“Affirmative! Ready to engage at top speed!” But before he could launch them all into the air, a powerful energy ball blasted 16 right in the head. The impact had propelled the android away from Krillin and 17, who also fell backward as a result. Let me tell you when you’ve got two puncture wounds in one arm and several broken bones, the last thing you want happening to you is falling down on your back.

“AARGH!” Krillin wished he could clutch his stomach right now, but his free arm was currently stabbed to shit and unusable. Android 17 didn’t feel much better either, as he was still a bit dizzy from the head injury. Squeaky footsteps grew louder and louder as 17 scrambled to get back on his feet.

“Ah, Android 17…I see that the midget didn’t kill you after all. How lucky for me…” Cell’s disgusting voice echoed behind the blackette. Turning around, 17 could see the bug-man walking towards him with this prideful stride. It sickened him to his core to see this twit act like he owned the place.

_(I mean, yeah, I act like that sometimes, but this is different!) _17 glanced back at Krillin, who began to vomit up blood again. Seeing the man wasted like this…knowing that Cell was responsible for it…!

_(It pisses me right the fuck off!!)_

“Now, my dear brother…Let us become one! Join me and we can become a perfect being! There is no need to help weaklings like _this runt_!” Cell boasted before kicking the short man in the kidneys, making him cough up more blood.

And that action was the last straw for our raven-haired android.

“Ngh! You _fucker_…! I’M NOT LETTING YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS!!!” 17 proceeded to rush the monster with a flurry of punches and kicks. Even with one eye and some mild brain trauma, each blow did hit right on the target. But once again, they did nothing to damage Cell, who was now amused by all the effort No. 17 put in.

“How precious,” Cell mocked before punching the raven in the stomach hard enough to send him flying into a rock wall behind him.

“Wh-Why…? Why can’t I beat you?!”

“It’s because, dear brother, this is a _game of life_. You’re the prey and I’m the predator. You should know by now that it’s impossible to match up to me! Just accept your fate and it will all be over soon…” Cell lectured as his tail’s stinger opened into its vacuum-like form.

However, before he could get too close, another obstacle reared its ugly head. And boy, did it look bad! Android 16 had finally gotten up from that earlier blast, now standing before Cell with fiery determination in his eyes. The attack on his head had left a gaping hole in the top-right side, exposing his metal skull and circuitry.

“Hmph. Don’t push it, No. 16. You’re probably moments away from shutting down.” Cell warned, but the bulky android didn’t back down.

In the distance behind Cell, the sound of rocks and explosions could be heard as Vegeta blasted Trunks into the side of a cliff.

“Besides, I have Vegeta helping me achieve my perfect form! Do you really think you can fight two opponents in the state you’re in, junk metal?”

Krillin groaned at the mere mention of the Prince.

_(Of course, you had to help him, Vegeta! Why bother saving the Earth when you can just go around being a jackass?!)_ If he could, Krillin would’ve gone up to the stupid Prince and slapped him in his face. Yes, he’d likely get killed, but somebody has to do it eventually!

Just like how someone has to eventually fend off Cell. By eventually, I mean right now.

Android 16 rushed the monster like his brother before him, though his punches were heavier and a tad slower.

“Huh, I suppose this is the power you should have. Not that it matters since you can’t hurt me in the slightest.” Cell mused before smacking the red-headed android down. That’s another thing you don’t do in front of Android 17, by the way.

“Don’t you dare hurt him!” 17 screeched as he blasted another ball of energy at the green gremlin. It had about the same effect as his last one did, only pushing the stubborn Cell back a few feet. The monster got back on his feet and began to stride forward with insolent pride within seconds. The tail resumed its vacuum-form and moved until it was past its owner’s head.

Was it all over now…? Was this really what all the fighting led up to…?

_(Is this…my fault…?)_ Krillin thought as he watched Cell corner 17, unable to move or do anything. He couldn’t even kick sand in the monster’s eyes, he was too far away and his Ki’s been diminished greatly. He couldn’t even watch what was about to happen…

Then the plot siked us again with a kick to the cheek! Out of nowhere, Trunks did a High-Jump Kick onto Cell’s face and knocked him flat across the other direction. The time traveler hovered before the astonished android in Super Saiyan form.

“You don’t have a lot of time! Hurry and get out of here!” Trunks ordered before chasing after Cell. As another fight continued further into the forest, Android 17 hurried over to Krillin’s side and carefully picked him up bridal style.

“Ngh…What are you doing…?! Quit wasting your time on me and go!”

“I told you already, I’m not leaving you to die like this! I owe you big time, remember!?” 17 retorted before walking over to 16, who laid on the ground as well. The big guy looked real banged up, with bits of his green armor broken and sparks flying out of his head-hole.

“No. 17, you need to leave now. You cannot carry both of us at once.”

“I-I know that…” 17 muttered wistfully, looking as though he could cry. “I just wanted to say thanks for everything, 16. It’s…It’s been a fun ride with you around.”

Android 16 smiled at the sentiment. “I had fun with you as well, No. 17. Now go and don’t look back!”

17 nodded and began the mad dash to the island’s end. He wasn’t exactly careful, nearly tripping over tree roots and almost dropping Krillin. Likewise, the bald fighter did his best to hold onto the android in their escape. He kept his right arm wrapped tight around 17’s neck while his left arm laid limp on his stomach. At this point, he didn’t care about what kind of message their position sent. As long as he and Android 17 got out of this alive, nothing else could bother him.

It felt like they’ve been running for ages, though it couldn’t have been more than five minutes at least.

“Hey, before anything else happens, I wanna, hah, ask you something…” 17 spoke in between pants.

“H-Huh…? What is it?”

“Hah, what’s your real name, Shorty? I, uh, never learned what it was…”

Despite the pain he was in, Krillin couldn’t help but smile at the android’s question. It probably looked like ass, but it was all he could muster right now.

“It’s Krillin. My name is Krillin.”

“Krillin, huh? ᵀʰᵃᵗ'ˢ ᵖʳᵉᵗᵗʸ ᶜᵘᵗᵉ, ᵃᶜᵗᵘᵃˡˡʸ…”

“W-What did you say?”

“I said we’re almost out! The beach is just over there!” 17 quickly answered as he made a bee-line for the island’s edge. The smell of salt filled the air as the escapees drew closer and closer to the bright blue ocean. Finally, it seemed like they were going to win after all. Once they’re gone, Cell won’t be able to reach perfection! Even with these nigh-unbearable injuries, Krillin began to laugh with joy.

“Haha! We did it, 17! We’re actually gonna make it!” He’d probably hug the android if he could. Everything that happened today, all the pain and torture Krillin and No. 17 went through, it won’t go to waste! They’ve won!

Did you know that the plot sike can strike up to three times? Because it can and it shall.

“YOU’RE NOT GETTING AWAY, NO. 17!!!” An angry Cell screamed from somewhere. 17 and Krillin (as much as he could right now) tried to look for where his voice came from, but they didn’t see any sign of the bug-man around them.

“Where the hell could he be!?” 17 kept surveying the area with no luck.

“I don’t know…He’s not right next to us, that’s for sure.”

Then Krillin happened to turn his gaze to the sky and he had never been more afraid of the sun than now. Through the harsh brightness, he could see the outline of _someone_ if he squinted enough. Once he did, Krillin could feel his heart plummet to his stomach.

Cell hovered in front of the sun, open hands placed around the center of his face. Krillin knew from the moment he laid eyes on it just what the monster was about to do.

“17, cover your eyes now!”

“What? Why-”

But it was too late.

“_**SOLAR FLARE!!!**_”

Several intense flashes of light covered the sky in an instant, blinding everyone present on the island.

“Gah! Everything’s gone white!” 17 screamed as his eye was painfully strained. He and Krillin weren’t able to cover their eyes in time. Heck, they couldn’t even hold them with their hands if they’d wanted to. 17 was holding Krillin and Krillin’s free arm was useless!

As 17 stumbled around, probably trying to follow the sound of the waves, squeaky footsteps once again appeared behind him. Before he could get away, Cell grabbed the android by the back of his head and lifted him up. The sudden movement made No. 17 accidentally drop Krillin, who landed on sandy grass with a thud.

“Let me go, you fucking…bug-ass!” 17 kicked and flailed around, trying to wring himself from the monster’s firm grip.

_(No, this can’t be happening! It can’t!!) _Krillin tried to push himself up but slipped on sand halfway through. Everything ached and stung so much, he couldn’t even move an inch.

“Krillin!” 17 desperately called out.

The short man tried to open his eyes to see the android, but everything was a messy blur. All he could see was a mixture of green, orange, and black waving about, but he could still hear the android's seemingly final words. It was No. 17's one and only request for Krillin.

“Please…make sure this asshole gets what he deserves!”

Cell laughed uproariously at the request. “Oh, you poor fool…I already have what I deserve!”

Within a split second, 17’s protests became muffled and a sickening noise echoed throughout the beach. He was getting sucked into the tail, sealing the raven’s fate.

“Stop…l-let him go…!” Krillin weakly protested, trying to reach for Cell’s tail from the ground. Cell smirked at the pathetic sight squirming at his feet.

“Hmph. Don’t worry, little man, you’ll see my _precious _No. 17 soon enough.”

A squelching sound came from behind Cell and all was silent for a few moments. Then a burst of wind came forth from him, blowing Krillin several feet away. Before he rolled into some boulder or whatever, someone flew over and caught him.

“Krillin! Oh my god, are you okay?!” It was Trunks, who wore a look of horror as he saw the brutality his ally wore. But Krillin couldn't respond, he was too focused on what was happening in front of him. Cell’s power rose to unprecedented levels. His body flashed brightly as he underwent his final metamorphosis, deep creaking emanating as each part of him morphed and shifted. His form slimmed down, the tail retracted inside him, the wings were coming back wider.

As Cell trudged forth on the path of perfection, Krillin had one thought echo through his mind.

_(Android 17…I’m so sorry. I wasn't strong enough to even help you…)_

A white flash overtook his eyes for a brief moment and faded, leaving the poor man with a memory that will forever haunt his nightmares…

\- - -

**[Canon is now back onto its regularly scheduled timeline]**

**[The Cell Games and its results are unavoidable]**

**[There is only one minor difference that will create a massive impact...]**

**[Android 17 will return in the next chapter]**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: A potential origin for Krillin's Japanese name, Kuririn, come from the onomatopoeia kuri-kuri/kurin-kurin (something cute and round), kuri-kuri shita me (big, round eyes), or the words kurikuri (bald) and rin (a cutesy honorific).


	5. Chapter 5: The Fateful Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, at the titular wish scene. What's going to happen now that 17 has been saved from Cell's clutches? How does he react to Krillin's selfless wish? What kind of crazy stuff is going to be spewed from his cold mouth? You'll just have to read to find out!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If the chapter count says 4/6 instead of 5/6, I don't know what's up with that. Sometimes this sight is a little wonky in how things are updated in real time or whatever.

\- - -No. 17- - -

The last thing No. 17 could remember was the sickening squelching noises of muscles contracting and getting pulled into something awful. He and Shorty had tried to run from Cell as best they could, even if the blackette had to carry the short man in the process. The idiot had tried sacrificing himself to save the android…Flashes of bloody bile and punctured limbs still shook 17 to his core.

Maybe that was why he tried to save the shorty? Was it pity for the monk’s fate that prompted the rescue? Or was it something more than that…?

Oh well, not like it mattered at this point. Cell was still able to catch up to both men and blindside them, taking his prize as the short man watched helplessly from the ground. Once the bug monster had gotten his hands on the raven-haired android, it was only a matter of moments before 17’s world turned black.  
All hope seemed lost and the android resigned himself to his inevitable death…

At least, until he suddenly felt this gentle breeze blow across his face. It’d be subtle enough for most people to ignore it, but the abrupt coolness made No. 17’s good eye shoot wide open.

From the looks of it, he was sprawled out on some kind of tile floor, At first, all he saw was the weirdly clear blue sky above him, but 17 soon realized that he was anywhere but land. The android was on some kind of weird tile platform with what looked like a temple just before him.

But that wasn’t all, for 17 also realized that he wasn’t alone on this platform.

“17, you’re finally awake!” The raven could recognize that voice from anywhere. Tilting his head to the left, 17 saw a familiar face crouching before him. It was…Krillin, right? That’s what he’d said when they were fleeing from Cell. Before the android could get a word out or even react, another voice yelled from the distance.

“Dende, get away from him! He could punch a hole right through you!” Some scarred loser warned from several feet away. Looking over to him, 17 saw even more familiar faces standing around him. The green giant, the triclops, this spiky-haired preteen, and a miniature version of the green giant. And laying by himself was that one guy with the lavender hair, but he didn’t seem like he was moving…

Krillin scowled and gave his friend an annoyed glare. “Nobody’s going to punch holes into anybody, Yamcha! Calm down!”

R-Really? No, that just has to be a distraction. Once 17’s guard is down enough, everyone here is going to blast him to kingdom come! He can’t let that happen!

17 jumped from the ground and got into a defensive fighting position. The sudden movement seemed to catch those closest to the android (Krillin, Gohan, and Dende) off guard. Why are they acting surprised? They all planned this ambush to take the android out, right? They shouldn’t be shocked that No. 17 was going to defend himself.

“Okay Shorty, you have about five seconds to tell me what the hell is going on, or else!” The raven threatened as he prepped his hands to create balls of ki.

Luckily, Krillin was semi-prepared for this reaction.

“W-Woah now, 17! We’re not going to do anything to you! This is Kami’s Lookout, you’re safe here!” The short man frantically explained, motioning for the android to put the plasma dukes away. 17 hesitantly relented, but still kept his hands readied.

“If I’m safe here, then what about Cell? What happened to him?”

“Well…Gohan kinda blasted him into nothing,” The bald fighter continued.

“Uh…Gohan?” Gohan…Gohan…He didn’t mean the kid, did he? That little guy beat Cell?

“That’s right!” Yamcha yelled out again, breaking 17’s train of thought. “Gohan’s _really_ strong, so you can forget about punching holes into anyone!” Pfft, what a loser…Can’t even be bothered to get closer to the raven.

Then it was the green giant’s turn to speak up, though thankfully he was close enough to talk at a normal volume. “You should thank Krillin, 17. He’s the one who stood by your side after Cell spat you up.”

_(Oh, so that’s how I got out…Fucking gross, man.)_ 17 shuddered at the thought. Looking over, the raven could see a bright blush begin to crawl up on Krillin’s cheeks.

“A-Ah, well, it was nothing, really! I mean, w-we couldn’t just leave you there, y’know?” Krillin mumbled bashfully, shifting his gaze to his feet. 17 had a sneaking suspicion as to why he was just rescued and _not_ immediately blasted to hell, and this was only the first bit of evidence.

“Oh, I get it now!” Now Gohan was blurting words out. Does anyone here know how a conversation should properly go? “You have a crush on 17, don’t you Krillin!?”

Krillin promptly responded by smacking Gohan in the back of the head. “Thanks a lot, Mr. Smooth!” Ouch.

“W-WHAT!?” Yamcha screams in disbelief. “What the hell, Krillin!? I thought you liked chicks, not…_him_!!”

The triclops to the left looked just as shocked as his friend.

“Y-You _do_ know that he’s an android, right?” At least this guy has his priorities straight.

And Krillin? He just rubbed the back of his head, blushed, and laughed. Laughed like this was all some normal, everyday occurrence. Like this was all just some wholesome-ass moment to relish in and not think too deeply about. Well, guess what? 17’s not laughing anytime soon and he’s hella thinking deeply about this.

“So Shorty, what did you think you’d get out of this? Did you think we’d suddenly be all buddy-buddy now that the big bad Cell is gone?” He accused.

“U-Uh, well…I just thought that…”

“Did you think I’d suck your dick for saving me?”

**[Bro, what the FUCK]**

“E-EXCUSE ME!?” Okay, Krillin wasn’t expecting that one _at all_. That went from zero to one hundred faster than he’d thought. What the heck was this dude even thinking, expecting the short man to desire compensation in return for saving him!? That’s not…I mean…! Er…

Okay, I think the android is able to explain this best.

_(Oh shit, I fucked up big time.) _Or perhaps not.

Maybe 17 took this a little too far too quickly. Ugh, he could just _feel_ the blush rising on his cheeks. He’s supposed to be the cool-headed, witty playboy character who held no embarrassment for what he said, but now 17 felt like he was going to be crushed by it all!

_(Quick, think of something to say and book it!)_

“D-Don’t kid yourself! I’m…I’m not that easy of a guy!” The android stammered before immediately flying away to the surface, leaving the poor Shorty in the dust.

_(Nailed it.)_

\- - -Krillin- - -

“B-But I…w-what…?” Now Krillin was just plain confused with a side of heartbreak. What the hell just happened? Did he just blow his chance at being _anything_ with No. 17? Yeah, he’s technically the Z-Fighter’s enemy and whatnot, but still…Krillin wasn’t expecting to be turned down before he even explained himself. He couldn’t even be angry at the raven…he just felt disheartened.

“Why that ungrateful…” Yamcha, on the other hand, looked pissed. “I can’t stand that android! I’ll show him what for…!”

“…I really doubt you could, Yamcha,” Tien retorted.

“We’ve wasted enough time. Let’s hurry up and fix the mess Cell’s created for Earth,” Piccolo spoke strictly business. Gohan quickly nodded.

“R-Right, and we need to get Trunks back as well!” Then the young boy looked over to Krillin, who held his head down and tried to keep the tears back. “Don’t worry, Krillin! With friends like us, you don’t even need that weirdo android!”

That was meant to cheer the bald man up, but it didn’t do much to help.

“J-Just leave me alone…”

\- - -No. 17- - -

As 17 flew off to God-knows-where, the sky suddenly began to darken.

_(Huh, that’s weird…Is it getting late already?) _But shouldn’t there have been a sunset of some kind if it was getting late? Maybe you just don’t see those up at higher altitudes…

Wait, nevermind. No. 17 quickly found the reason why it was getting so dark. All he had to do was turn back and face that Lookout place he was just at. Then, before he knew it, a bright flash of light burst forth from the platform! It was almost like that Solar Flare thing Cell pulled on him, only this time the android wasn’t blinded. Didn’t mean he wasn’t confused as all hell.

“Holy shit…What the hell is that thing!?”

In the distance, 17 could see this _massive_ green dragon hovering right above the lookout. It had the body of a snake with limbs, wooden horns/antlers on its skull, something that looked like _sideburns_ on the jaw, and these two long whiskers at the snout. Not to mention those eyes…Those piercing eyes that were colored with a bright red and lacked pupils of any kind.

No. 17 had so many questions right now. What exactly was that dragon? What is it doing there? Why did it just suddenly appear?

After weighing his options, it became obvious that there was only one thing 17 could do to satisfy this new curiosity.

“I guess…It wouldn’t hurt to take a _quick_ look. Get in, see what’s up, then get out.”

With that, the raven-haired android flew back towards the Lookout whilst making sure he wasn’t seen by the other Z-Fighters. He hid behind a pillar and watched carefully…

\- - -

“Shenron! Please revive all the people killed by Cell!”

“**That is a simple matter,**” Shenron’s red eyes then glowed for a few seconds before dimming. As soon as they stopped glowing, the wishes effects were immediate. From behind the pillar, 17 watched as the lavender-haired teen opened his eyes and sat up.

_(I…I don’t believe it! That kid was dead all along!?)_ The android’s face probably held the same amount of bewilderment Trunks’ did (though at least the teen didn’t have a nasty burn scar on one half). This was amazing…That tale about the wish-granting eternal dragon was actually real!? 17 thought it was just a fairy tale from when he was a kid!

_(Amazing…So this Shenron really can grant any wish!)_ Well, not exactly, as the raven would find out right about… Now.

“Tch, it’s as I feared…” Piccolo abruptly began talking, garnering his allies attention. Well, except Krillin. He was still sulking about that whole thing with No. 17. “Since Dende based the new Dragon Balls and Shenron off of the old model, their powers must be linked. I don’t sense Goku’s energy anywhere.”

_(Hm, bummer. Guess the lizard isn’t that all-powerful.)_

“**What is your second wish? I am waiting for it,**” Shenron’s voice boomed from above, interrupting 17’s thoughts once again. Geez, if this lizard was anything, it could be impatient.

Anyways, the group tried asking Shenron if their second wish could revive Goku, but it was a bust. Apparently, the dude’s already been brought back once, so it wouldn’t work. Then the little green kid, Dende, suggested going to _another_ dragon to bring Goku back. It was already a pretty big revelation that a wish-granting dragon exists, but now there’s a _second one_!?

_(Just how many of these things are there!? Three? Four!? FIVE!?)_

Then someone started speaking from the heavens. No, I’m not making this up. Somehow, Goku was able to communicate from the dead to tell his friends to _not_ wish him back to life. How? Don’t ask 17, he doesn’t fricking know! And don’t even bother asking the Z-Fighters as well, because they know as much as the raven does. Something about a ‘King Kai’ allowing the fighter to communicate from the Other World. Long story short, Goku thinks he should stay dead in order for the Earth to stay safe. After sharing some sentiments and goodbyes, the Saiyan’s voice simply vanished.

To put it simply, it all baffled No. 17, a product of pure science and technology.

_(I swear if this was all some kind of acid trip…)_

Either way, now the group was back to square one and now they were discussing what to use the second wish for.

“Well if we can’t think of a good wish, then what about a bad one? I mean, wouldn’t it be cool if we were all stinking filthy rich?” Of course, Yamcha would suggest that. Thankfully, nobody was stupid enough to agree.

“**I shall wait no longer. Do you have a wish or not?**” Shenron impatiently asked, though his deep voice kept the emotion down to a minimum. It seemed at this rate, nobody had any idea of what to do. That made 17 wonder what would happen if he tried to get a wish in before anyone else…It probably wouldn’t work, but it’d be interesting to test this green boy out.

But before he really committed to it, a certain Shorty stepped up to Shenron.

“Y-Yeah, I do! I’d like you to change the androids 17 and 18 into humans so that they can live their lives in peace.”

“_WHAT!?” _Multiple friends proclaimed, mostly in shock as Trunks looked just as horrified by that wish.

_(W-What the hell is Shorty doing!?)_ 17 couldn’t believe what he’d just heard! Krillin was willing to waste a perfectly good wish on someone like _him_? A powerful war-machine that could obliterate life within a couple of months if he so chooses? Someone who has mostly shown hostility to literally every other member of the Z-Fighters? What was the bald guy thinking!?

After a period of silence, Shenron responded. “**That wish…_cannot _be granted now. It is beyond my power to do such a thing.**”

Well, 17 figured he could just throw the myths he’s heard of this beast into the trash. If a god-like being such as Shenron can’t even reverse Dr. Gero’s handiwork, then either the lizard was weaker than he’d thought or Gero’s techniques were on a whole ‘nother level of f̸͔͎̹̬͈̿͒͌͛ų̸̘͈͔̬̆̊͗̄̓c̴̨̲̝̣̼̾͊̏̾̇ḵ̷̥͍̫̐̏͊͋͐͜ȩ̶̭͍̦̫̈́̌͑̑͘d̸͎͖̼̥͇͌̾͋͋̿.

No. 17 thought that this would be it. If you can’t undo Gero, then there wasn’t much left to do. He didn’t think there was much Shorty could do at this point, save removing the deadly bomb strapped into the android’s chest-

“If you can’t change them back to humans, then…could you remove the explosives from 17 and 18’s bodies?”

_(Speak of the freaking devil)_

“Man, Krillin. I hope you know what you’re doing,” 17 didn’t think he shared Yamcha’s exact thoughts, but he did anyway.

“**That wish is within my power.**”

“Alright! Then do it!”

Another red flash illuminated the dragon’s face. As soon as it dimmed, No. 17 definitely felt the wish come into effect. It was subtle but his body felt a couple pounds lighter than before, mostly in the chest area. He…He couldn’t believe it. This had to be an acid trip or a dream or _something!_ Yet no matter how hard he pinched or how much he irritated his still fresh burn wound, 17 wasn't waking up someplace else. He was still here, behind a pillar at a magical temple.

“Impossible…This is just impossible…!”

Though the eye strain from Shenron’s departure was certainly possible. As soon as the dragon did the wish, he just up and left in a blinding flash of light. Within that burst of light, what looked like seven comets then spread out in seven separate directions accompanied by this strange noise. It was almost like a cartoon nuke dropping, but more…warped and mystical.

Then the sky returned to its bright blue self and all seemed normal.

“I don’t understand, Krillin. Why were you so bent on helping those two?” Trunks questioned, disbelief decorating his voice. If you listened carefully, you might also hear a bit of…disgust? Venom? Something negative, that’s for sure.

Krillin shifted his gaze back to his feet, that blush creeping up onto him again. “I-I…well, it’s just…-sigh-, I guess there’s no use hiding it, guys.  
“I guess it’s ‘cause I kind of…sort of…_like_ No. 17.” The short man shakily confessed.

“Heh, you dog!” Gohan teased with a smile. “You must really like him!”

“Well, he and 18 didn’t ask to be turned into androids or superhumans or whatever you call it. Dr. Gero made them into weapons against their will. They’ve done nothing wrong.” Then Krillin walked up to Yamcha and apologized for hogging the wish. The ex-bandit just laughed it off and said that it was supposed to be a joke. Guess it must’ve been a good one because soon the other fighters were laughing alongside him.

17 kept watching from his hiding spot. _(W-What the hell…Why would he do that for me?)_

Tien had a similar question, too. “Hey Krillin, if you like 17 so much then why’d you remove 18’s bomb as well?”

The shorter man flustered about a bit before fiddling his index fingers together. “Well…I just want him to be happy, that’s all! I mean, 17 and 18 would make a pretty good couple, wouldn’t you say?”

And that was 17’s cue to show himself. He was cool with this crush for the bald guy, he was cool with getting his bombs removed, _he was cool with finding out there are two wish-granting dragons in this world!_ But **that**, saying that he and 18 would make a good couple? No, he was going to lay the facts straight once and for all.

“Goddamn it, Shorty! You’re denser than I’d thought!” 17 shouted as he jumped out of his hiding spots. All eyes, including Krillin’s, were all upon him at once.

“N-No. 17?!” Krillin gasped.

“Tch, you’re such an idiot! 18 is my sister! My _twin_ sister! How the hell did you not put two and two together!?” The android angrily vented. “Seriously, we look almost identical! I think we’ve even called each other ‘Sis’ and ‘Bro’ in front of you! How in God’s name did that fly over your head?”

Yeah…really should’ve put the context clues together, Krillin. I mean, I think the androids referred to each other as siblings in front of the monk. Even if they didn’t, their startling similarities should’ve tipped _something_ off…

But, whatever. There’s other stuff to do here. So once that brick of knowledge was dropped, Yamcha lightly elbowed Krillin’s shoulder with a smirk.

“Woah, hear that Krillin? They’re siblings! That means you’ve still got a chance!” He won’t have a chance for long if you keep blurting out crap like this, Yamcha!

“Yeah, don’t get any crazy ideas there, pal. If you think you’ve won my heart just because of that stupid wish, you’re an even bigger idiot…” 17 muttered as he turned to walk away. But he didn’t take more than two steps before suddenly stopping.

“I guess…I should at least thank you. You did do something…immense for me, after all.” The raven couldn’t bear to turn around again. He knew his face was red with embarrassment and…_other_ emotions.

“H-Huh? Y-You’re not mad at me?”

“Not at all. If anything, I guess…” 17 silently gulped. “…I guess I’d say I’m grateful, even if you did it because…um…” The raven stammered a bit at the end. He didn’t really know how to express that last part. It was kind of a shameful thought…

_(Heh, me? Ashamed? Guess it’s more likely than I think…)_ 17 snickered. He was sounding like a click-bait advert he saw recently.

Meanwhile, Krillin was confused by what the android was trying to tell him.  
“‘Even if I did it because of…’ what, exactly? What’re you talking about?” The short man raised an eyebrow as 17 audibly chuckled. The android could feel his bravado coming back to him and he felt like showing it off a bit.

“How about I show you what I mean, Shorty?” Without warning, it was as though 17 disappeared into thin air. Moments later, the android reappeared right in front of Krillin, almost face to face. The short human would’ve jumped back in shock if a hand hadn’t held him still by the shoulder.

“Wh-wh-what the hell-”

“Hold still a moment,” With that, No. 17 firmly planted his lips onto Krillin’s. There wasn’t anything intense about the kiss, but the raven made sure it was a long one. It was almost like it had been back in the mountains, except Krillin isn’t pinned to a scratchy wall. If he wanted, he could pull away and jump ten feet backward or slap the android in the face! After all, didn’t he use to say that 17’s kiss was just a mind game? Heck, it might even be one right now.

…If so, why wasn't he pulling away? Specifically, why could Krillin feel himself leaning into the kiss? Why was he suddenly invested in this cold lip-lock that got warmer with every second? Why were his legs beginning to turn into jelly again?

_(Why…Why am I letting this happen again…?)_ Krillin thought as he closed his eyes and let it happen again.

**[Silly Krillin, you should know the answer to that question by now.]**

After what felt like ages, 17 slowly his mouth pulled back and looked upon his Shorty. Heh, _his_. It had a nice ring to it. It fit what the raven was seeing right now. Krillin’s cheeks turned from a bright red to this peachy-pink color, his eyes were just slightly lidded, and his lips were parted in _just_ the right way. Combined with the shy stance and the husky breath, Krillin looked…downright amazing right now. Delectable, even.

No. 17 warmly smiled. This is probably the first time he’s smiled at more than just his handiwork. No…now he was smiling at something he just adored…_Someone_ that he couldn’t help but feel something deeper with. How long has it been since he’s last felt like this? Months? Years, perhaps?

“I-I…17, I…” The short fighter couldn’t get the words out. That was okay, he didn’t need to. Somehow, 17 could kind of understand what he was trying to spit out. Not the exact words, but more like…the _emotion_. Kinda made him sound like a pansy, but what could you do? Dr. Gero didn’t exactly fill his brain with a whole thesaurus now, did he?

“Thank you…_Krillin_.” 17 whispered before pulling away completely and stepping back. The raven gave the bald man one more smirk,  
“I’ll see you later,” and then he instantly took off, flying below the Lookout towards the surface of the planet.

For about five seconds, Krillin stood there in complete silence. He could hardly move his arms or even his legs. He felt like if he even moved just a centimeter, his legs were going to give way and he’d fall to the tile floor. Luckily, good ol’ Yamcha was there to keep that from happening. The ex-bandit stood behind his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I got to say…You, uh, sure have a way with dudes, Krillin. That guy seems to, um…_really _dig you, man,” Yamcha spoke with a mixture of awe and disconcertment. All Krillin could do was stare at the spot 17 had been standing in.

“Are…Are you sure?” The bald fighter questioned quietly.

“Well…I know I’ve never _dated_ a dude before and I don’t think I will anytime soon, but I _think_ you have a chance with him. It’s a gut feeling, but y’know…Go for it and see what happens.”

…

“You know what? I think I will.”

“That’s the spirit.” Yamcha smiled and gave his friend’s shoulder a light pat.

“Yeah, I think you’ll do great, Krillin!” Gohan wore a similar smile as he cheered his honorary uncle on. Piccolo didn't really care either way. Trunks…Well, Trunks wasn’t _unhappy_, but he wasn’t all that impressed with his ally.

“I’m not going to tell you who and who not to love, Krillin, but let me just say this. _Be ready for when shit hits the fan,_” Trunks wasn’t the kind of guy who swore, so this should probably warrant a mental note. The bald fighter just gave the time traveler a big grin, likely one of the biggest he’s ever had.

“I’ll be fine, Trunks. But thank you, anyway.”

There wasn’t much left for everyone to do except head their separate ways and go home. It’s been a pretty long day, after all. Cell Games, nearly getting killed by Cell Juniors, almost witnessing the destruction of the Earth…It’s been a doozy of a day. Hell, more like a doozy of a month!

But as Krillin flew down the long Korin tower and headed for Kame House, he couldn’t help but feel just a little giddy. Despite the exhaustion and need for a nap, the short man couldn’t help but be excited for the near future. He really needs to stop letting 17 get into his head…

“Or maybe…It wouldn’t hurt to think about him once in a while…”

With the familiar pink house in sight, all seems well with the world…

Though this story certainly isn’t over yet.

**[It gets just a tiny bit spicy in the next chapter** **]**

**[Not _too_ spicy, mind you, but enough to get the brain juices flowing]**

**[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]**


	6. Chapter 6: Together? Yeah, Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take a sip of a shot(or soda that gives you the runs) for every three ellipses you see.  
Take a full shot for every instance of the word 'smile' and its synonyms.  
Because it feels like I've been using them over and over again!
> 
> But yes guys, it's finally done!!! FINALLY!!!  
Now, will I do more of this particular ship in the future? I dunno. I've kinda fulfilled my K/17 quota for a while and I didn't even include any sex scenes!
> 
> I think I'll focus on other things for a while now, but I hope y'all enjoy this final chapter! School might actually be catching up to me for once, so I may not upload as frequently as I'd like to. But I mean hey, it's not like I'll have a huge audience waiting for me to get back. I'm sure things will turn out just fine!

“I’m surprised you even remembered where I live.”

“Yeah, well, I kinda figured this was the home base of sorts for you and your friends.”

“That’s…honestly, that is _very_ true.”

It’s been little over two weeks since the Cell Games have ended and the Earth was saved once again. But while practically everyone on the planet was out celebrating, there were two certain individuals that were, well, _not_ doing that. Our lovely raven-haired superhuman/android, No. 17, and our good old buddy, Krillin. It was about 5 or 6 in the evening and the sun was just starting to set in the distant West.

Krillin hadn’t done much today besides train and clean a bit around Kame House. Master Roshi had gone off to Dende-knows-where for a few days, leaving his student in charge of the house while he was out. Krillin didn’t figure much would happen whilst the teacher was gone, so imagine his surprise when he hears a knock on the door and finds No. 17 standing right outside. When he’d asked the blackette why he was here, the young man just told him that ‘it would’ve been rude to leave him hanging,’ whatever that meant.

So now here they were, sitting in the kitchen with two cups of herbal tea and just chatting. Though it was a bit nervewracking, at least for Krillin anyway. After all, do you plan for your crush/odd fixation to just show up at your doorstep and demand that you let him hang out for a bit? No, you normally don’t. And needless to say, it was a bit tricky for the bald man to find a relevant topic for their conversation.

“U-Um, so, how’s your eye been? Has it gotten any better?”

17 pressed a finger right onto the glued-shut eyelid without much consideration for pressure or care in general. Krillin’s had his share of grievous wounds, so seeing the raven basically playing with the scabby, discolored flesh made him a bit squeamish.

“Well, it’s gone from stinging like hell to completely numb. Probably not good, but I guess it’s better than nothing?”

“Huh…_M-Maybe_ you should go see a doctor about that.”

17 shot back an annoyed look.  
“Does it look like I got the cash to get one?”

“I, uh, I guess not, no…”

Floundering is probably how one would describe this whole situation. Krillin couldn’t help but feel a bit stilted when he talked. What the hell could he even talk about with the android? Despite having kissed him _twice_, the bald fighter knew practically nothing about No. 17’s likes, dislikes, or hobbies. It wasn’t too long ago that the blackette had been his enemy, so all the information he has on him would only apply if they were to ever fight one-on-one. But now that’s all in the recent past and Krillin has zero ideas on what to do.

_(C’mon, Krillin! You have to think of something. Heck, anything!)_

17 let out a small cough.  
“Listen, this has been…well, _fun_ isn’t really the right word for this, but…you know what I mean.”

Crap, he’s getting ready to leave! This isn’t even technically a date and Krillin’s already losing the catch! He’s gotta think of something quick before it’s too late…

“U-Uh, no, wait! I, um, just wanted to ask if maybe…you wanted to watch, er…I dunno, a _movieee…_?” Krillin’s voice strained on that last word. It was difficult to properly put into words just how anxious the bald man was right now, but it felt like he was excessively sweating on the inside whilst the rest of his body was trying _not_ to visibly shake.

No. 17 made a small hum for a few seconds before promptly nodding his head.  
“Alright, I’m down with that.”

“…Wait, you’re serious?”

“Yeah. I don’t really have anything else to do today besides annoying my sister, so why not? Besides, now I’m interested to see what your tastes could be.”

He has no idea how much tension that answer made Krillin’s body exude.

“W-Well, how about you go pick something out and I’ll make us some food? I might not look it, but I can make us some _killer_ nachos.”

That seemed to perk 17 up a bit. Krillin wasn’t sure if the raven actually required food to stay alive or if Dr. Gero’s machinations removed that need, but either way, the android was already sold.

“Alright then. Where do you keep the DVDs anyway?”

“That little cabinet on the left of the TV. It’s the only thing that doesn’t hold any of Roshi’s, ahem, **‘**_soap specials._**’**” Those were some massive air quotes around that word, but whatever. As 17 walked over to sift through the DVDs, Krillin got to work on making those supposedly _killer_ nachos.

Hopefully, this little date-but-not-quite doesn’t go horribly wrong.

\- - -Forty-five minutes into the movie- - -

Well, judging from the situation Krillin is in right now, nothing has obviously gone horribly wrong. Quite the opposite, in fact. Something has gone absolutely, _terrifyingly_ right. It all feels so sudden, too.

Just five minutes ago, the bald fighter and the raven were just on the couch, enjoying the movie 17 had picked out. It was some kind of weird comedic kung-fu movie that came out when Krillin was a kid. He thinks he picked it up out of sheer curiosity, but he hadn’t gotten around to watching it yet. So far, it had been a fun experience. There were some laughs, mostly from Krillin but 17 had his share of chuckles too.

I might be getting a bit off track here…  
Anyways, at some point during one of the film’s fight montages, No. 17 had scooted closer to Krillin and wrapped his arm around him. Okay, nothing too strange about that. They’re both romantically interested in each other, so it’s not a big shocker.

Then 17 gave Krillin a small peck on the cheek. Weird, but not _too_ weird for Krillin (ᶦⁿ ᶠᵃᶜᵗ, ʰᵉ ᵏᶦⁿᵈᵃ ˡᶦᵏᵉᵈ ᶦᵗ)…  
But then 17 kissed at Krillin’s jawline. What the heck?

“Uh, 17? What are you-mph?!”

Without warning, 17 practically smashed his and Krillin’s lips together, the sudden force of it making them both fall back onto the couch. Now we have a situation reminiscent of their first encounter, where the kiss goes on for at least a minute. Except now, there was less keeping mouths still and more tongue. _Definitely_ more tongue.

“Mn…mnah…”_  
(Ngh…This feels…really weird.) _This was a whole new experience for the short fighter. I mean, yeah, he has kissed his previous girlfriend, Maron, before but not to _this_ extent. Krillin didn’t even know if he was supposed to be moving his tongue against 17’s or not, so he just let the raven do whatever with it. It was just as he’d said, this thing just felt _really_ weird.

And yet something inside Krillin told him that this also felt…nice. Almost as nice as that hand that kept exploring every bit of his torso. Whatever 17 was doing, he was good at it. Like, _really good_, and all he did was lightly brush his calloused fingers against any skin it came across.

“M-Mph!”  
_(Crap, why did I like that?!)_ That was a scar Krillin was especially squeamish about, too! Anytime he touched it or had something bump against it, he’d always jolt back out of instinct. Even years after it was taken care of, he’s never going to forget the time Frieza flailed him about on his horn…

And yet when No. 17 so much as pressed a finger against it, suddenly it was the exact opposite! That particular touch didn’t give him a nasty jolt backward or make his stomach churn out of fear. Instead, it felt…_actually pleasant_. So pleasant, in fact, that Krillin almost didn’t realize that 17’s hand was starting to slowly creep lower and lower right until he felt something pawing at the front of his pants-  
**Hold up.**

“W-Woah! Wait a minute, 17!” He exclaimed as he pushed himself and the android back into sitting positions. No. 17 looked at the bald man with a confused expression. Well, about as confused as you can look with one eye.

“What? Did…did you not like that?” He sounded hurt by this sudden decision.

Krillin quickly shook his head, blush rising faster than ever before.  
“Uh, n-no, I-I do like it…It’s just that, um, don’t you think that we’re taking this a little _too_ quickly?”

“What do you mean?”

“W-Well, if you think about it, we’ve probably only known each other for maybe a month, at most, and for maybe three weeks of that we were enemies. Yet here we are now, in between second and third base…It all just feels a little surreal, y’know?”

17 knitted his brow in thought. He’d never really thought about those circumstances until now.  
“I…I guess I understand that. Does that mean you want to stop?”

Krillin paused for a moment. He didn’t _dislike_ what they were doing, that’s for sure…But should they keep going? That was the main question in play.  
“I dunno…”

For a few moments, the human and the android just sat there in contemplative silence. The movie was still playing, but it was nothing but background noise at this point. Both men looked as though they were trying to find the right words to say. Then, slowly, No. 17 placed a hand on Krillin’s shoulder and breathed in.

“Look, I know that our first little, er, _moments_ let’s call them…I know that, even if you did like it, you didn’t ask for them in the first place. Even now, I still didn’t bother to consider your take…  
“But this right here? If you don’t want to do this, then I’m not gonna pin you down and force you into it.” He stated matter-of-factly.

Moments? Was the blackette referring to those kisses from weeks before? Thinking back, those moments were probably more one-sided than what the standard should be.

“It’s all up to you, Krillin.”

Silence for another few seconds until Krillin slowly inched his face closer to 17’s, but stopped short of the other’s nose. He audibly gulped.  
“I…I’d like to keep going.” A terse, but honest answer.

No. 17 stared back in semi-disbelief before smiling softly. Unlike the cocky smirks he’s beamed before, this one felt strangely genuine.  
“As long as you’re sure about this, I’m game.”

Krillin smiled back, a new wave of tempered confidence coming over him.  
“I’m sure, 17.” He then gently pressed his lips against the raven’s, who gladly returned the kiss in kind. But before they could get too crazy with this thing, Krillin quickly leaned over to No. 17’s ear.

“We should probably head to my room. Hehe, Master Roshi’d kill me if we did this on the couch…”

I think in that instance, 17 ran them both up the stairs at speeds Burter only _wishes_ he could achieve.

\- - -[A Few Hours Later](https://youtu.be/ulteZYyWAA8?t=18)\- - -

“Haa…That was…Holy shit, I don’t even know what you’d call that…!”

“You’re telling me…I can’t even, hah, remember which one of us did what!”

Well, personally, I don’t know how far I’m willing to go yet in terms of describing what just happened, so I’ll just put it like this. Krillin and No. 17 were both _very_ sore/_very_ satisfied in each and every way the human mind can conjure up. And after a good few hours of some serious “getting-it-on,” all they wanted to do now was just let lay in bed and let the whole thing sink in. Oh yeah, and maybe talk or whatever.

“Hey…17?”

“T’sup?”

“I guess this means…we’re more than just ‘acquaintances-who-kiss’ now, huh?”

“…Heh, yeah, I guess it does.”

No. 17 turned his head over to Krillin, who had an arm over his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. Say what you will about his face situation, but Krillin pretty much has the kind of body that most men would kill twice-over to have. Well-toned muscles, fuckin _killer_ abs, and as the android recently found out, a crap-ton of stamina. Perfect partner material.

“Hm…Now you’ve got me thinking…”

“About what?”

“About where we go from here. What do we call this whole thing we’ve got going on?”

Krillin hummed for a moment before coming up with an answer. “I mean…Honestly? I’d like this to be more than just us meeting up to have sex.”

“So, boyfriends,” Well, when you put it like _that_, 17… Any other moment, Krillin would’ve flustered at the thought of being that involved with the blackette. Instead, he let out a low chuckle and smiled.

“Y-Yeah, exactly like that. Maybe more, when the time comes.”

Suddenly, but slowly, No. 17 rolled Krillin over so they both faced parallel to each other.

“I think I’d like that for us, too.”

“R-Really?”

17 simply gave an affirmative hum in response before planting another kiss onto the bald fighter’s lips, which Krillin was more than happy to oblige in.

“Your friends could be a _bit_ of a hassle, though.”

“Ha! I’m sure you guys’ll learn to get along.”

“Yeah…But, I think that if we are gonna start going out, I should let you in on a little secret.” Little secret? What was 17 talking about?

“What do you mean?”

The android had on a cheeky grin as if he knew something we don’t.  
…Wait, I guess in this case, he actually _does_ know something we don’t.

“My real name. I mean, you can’t honestly think that ‘No. 17’ is my birth name, right?”

I really don’t think anybody thought that was the case, but okay. At least that piqued Krillin’s curiosity. He remembered briefly talking with Trunks about the androids’ names, along with the fact that they technically weren’t androids at all. I mean, there would probably only be one person here who was sticky with _you-know-what_ if that was the case…

“Well, no, of course not. Why call it a secret, though?”

“’Cause back before Gero screwed around with me and sis, I, uh…might have gotten teased about it before. A lot.”

“Teased? You?” That's not something Krillin could ever imagine happening to 17.

“Yeah, I know that sounds weird but it’s true. Even I wasn’t free from child cruelty in that children were often cruel to me. It sucked, but what could you do?”

“So, are you going to tell me what name warranted this teasing?”

For a moment, it felt like a cold wind had blown through the bedroom.

“It’s…Lapis. My real name is Lapis,” The raven hesitantly blurted out, as though to prep himself for a potential onslaught of teasing. Krillin, however, didn’t see what was so tease-worthy about the word.

“That’s it? You got made fun of because your name is Lapis?”

“It’s usually used for girls and yet my parents or whoever decided to use it for their son. I grew up an orphan, so I’m never gonna know why I was named that way.”

“Hm, I think it’s a cool name anyway. Lapis has a nice ring to it. It’s gonna take me a while to get used to, but I’ll call you by it if that’s what you want.”

Then Krillin scooted closer to No. 17-sorry, _Lapis_, wrapping him into a loose hug whilst lifting the covers over them both.

“Uh, what’re you doing?”   
**[What does it look like he’s doing?]**

“I don’t know about you, but I’m beyond exhausted right now. I’d like to get some sleep if that’s alright.”

Lapis simply shrugged. “Eh, guess I ought to as well. I’ll admit, you gave me quite the workout tonight~”

“Don’t be gross.” Mumbled Krillin as he buried his face into the blackette’s shoulder, who then subsequently snickered.

“Tch, fine. G’night.”

“Night.”

Now all that was left to do was just…well…

For Lapis, that was actually easier than he’d thought. No, he isn’t able to see the very-convincing picture above this text. With the soft sounds of waves crashing into the shore just outside and the warmth of this bed (not to mention sharing said bed with a certain new partner), it just became much easier to drift off. The raven probably would’ve fallen asleep within mere minutes if a brief whisper hadn’t caught his attention.

“Hey…Lapis?” Krillin mumbled.

“Hrm?”

“I…I love you…” That was the last thing the short fighter said before weariness finally overtook him. The blackette smiled for what felt like the tenth time today and pulled the sleepy man closer to him.

“…Love you too, Krillin” He whispered back before sleep overtook him as well.

Was this “relationship” going to work out as either man would like for it to? I can’t really say. You can’t always predict that a relationship will always be successful, especially when you have sex right off the bat. But if I had to guess, I’d say that in this particular non-canonical universe? It’ll probably work out just fine. A few bumps here or there may seem like rough potholes at first, but they’ll help to temper and strengthen this new bond we’ve got here.

But right now, let’s just go to sleep and face the future with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morgana Source here: https://anacceptablename.tumblr.com/post/162196234205/keii-when-morgana-tells-you-to-go-to-sleep-even  
Yes I used a meme from a completely different franchise. What're you gonna do about it? You can't stop me.

**Author's Note:**

> Note: Some bits of dialogue are lifted from TFS. There's only about two places where it's visible.


End file.
